Chapter 12: Crouching Dragon, Hidden Phoenix
The atmosphere in the cave had frozen solid.
Minamoto Ren's sharp mind momentarily crashed—just a few seconds, but enough for his brain to need a manual reboot.
Before he could even speak, the Power Game System, which had been quiet for what felt like an entire season, finally broke its silence.
> [Emperor Yin trained three thousand death soldiers and scattered them across the land… Power has never belonged solely to a title. Your choices, your charisma, your every move may inspire loyalty from others—and loyalty breeds momentum.]
[You have drawn away two individuals who originally pledged allegiance to the Hokage faction. Personnel authority increased. Hyūga clan power game initiated. This is a subordinate thread under the Hokage Power Game. Events in the upper game can influence the lower one in unpredictable ways. Each move must be made as though walking on thin ice.]
[Current Power Index: 3]
[Power manifestation: Acquired one "Vortex Elixir" and one random "Kenjutsu/Ninjutsu Scroll."]
Ren was about to ask the system more about this Hyūga power game, when he noticed something that made him pause.
He hadn't just drawn Hyūga Haining away from the Hokage's sphere of influence…
He'd also taken another person with him.
There was no doubt who it was: Senju Nawaki.
But why?
"Has Nawaki really developed full-on loyalty toward me? How is that even measured?" Ren asked the system curiously. "And why did Haining's loyalty trigger the Hyūga power game, but Nawaki didn't trigger anything related to the Senju?"
> [The system's evaluations are never mistaken. In terms you can understand: if Nawaki had to choose between the Hokage and you, he would choose you. However, this loyalty is unstable. If you betray his emotional trust, the loyalty will vanish.]
[As for the second question—it's simple. The Senju clan effectively no longer exists. The only remaining elder is Uzumaki Mito, who holds nominal authority. Tsunade handles the family's external affairs. Nawaki is just a potential inheritor. In a clan with only three people left, there's no political game—only blood ties.]
Ren winced.
What the system was saying was brutally clear: The Senju Clan is too dead to have power struggles.
In other words: no one left, nothing to fight over.
Back in the real world, Nawaki looked panicked.
"Ren… say something. You're scaring me."
He was nearly catatonic. He risked his life to save these two—and what did he get in return?
Haining had just taken a combat stance, ready to fight him.
And Ren was just sitting there in silence like a rock.
Ren finally came back to his senses.
He stood up and gently pushed Haining back into a seated position.
"I'm not a spy," Ren said calmly. "I'm a Konoha shinobi. I just have a special kekkei genkai… one I've been hiding. If people in the village found out, someone might try to kill me."
His tone was sincere. The lie rolled out smooth as silk.
"Kill you? Why?" Nawaki asked quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from Haining's outburst.
"Wouldn't Lord Hokage protect you?"
Ren didn't hesitate.
"Shimura Danzō. He was a classmate of the Third Hokage."
If you've reincarnated into the Naruto world and don't try to frame Danzō for something, then really, what are you even doing?
Besides, Danzō is never innocent anyway.
Nawaki went quiet, brow furrowed as he recalled Danzō's face.
He didn't know the man well… but something about his aura just didn't sit right.
And honestly? Ren's claim wasn't exactly a stretch.
Think about it—given their current dynamic, if Ren randomly killed a Konoha ninja—so long as it wasn't the Hokage or Tsunade—both Nawaki and Haining would assume Ren had his reasons. They'd cover for him without hesitation.
But what if Danzō decided to kill Ren?
Would the Hokage really imprison or execute his old comrade of several decades?
The answer was obvious.
That—that was the raw, naked face of power.
The closer you were to the core of authority, the more likely you were to evade scrutiny, to skirt judgment, to walk above the law.
It had been this way for millennia. Evolution hadn't changed a thing.
The three sat in heavy silence, the only sound in the cave the quiet crackle of burning embers.
Ren finally broke it.
"So I hope you both can help me keep this secret," he said, voice steady, sincere.
"If it ever gets out… I'll be in serious trouble."
He said it plainly, but there was a quiet strength behind his words.
It was a request—but it was also a command.
He deliberately avoided words like "death" or "torture," simply saying that he would "get into trouble." It was a subtle sleight of hand. After all, among friends, helping someone out of a "tight spot" sounds entirely reasonable. But if things escalate, friendship alone won't be enough to shield anyone from the fallout.
Minamoto Ren never intended to use his friends' loyalty to command them—that was far too crude.
Throughout history, benevolent rule has always outlasted brute domination. Tyranny might win temporary obedience, but righteousness builds enduring legacy.
Why do you think the most powerful people often act so gentle and refined?
Having made his stance clear, Ren waited.
Sure enough, Hyūga Haining quickly bowed his head in apology, admitting his earlier misunderstanding. He even turned to Nawaki and apologized for his aggression. Then he looked back at Ren and solemnly declared, "I won't tell a soul about your secret. I swear it—like a brother."
Nawaki nodded in agreement. He'd already made up his mind back when he first saw Ren's Shikotsumyaku in action—this secret would stay buried forever. Not even Tsunade could pry it from him.
With both of them reaffirming their loyalty, Ren didn't press the issue. He just gave a soft, almost casual reply:
"I believe you."
That simple line nearly brought tears to Hyūga Haining's eyes.
If there'd been a jug of sake nearby, the three of them probably would've knelt down for a good old-fashioned cave brotherhood oath. Maybe Nawaki can steal a bottle from Curly Dadan....Uh...wrong universe...
Maybe not "born on the same day," but definitely "die on the same battlefield."
With the heavy emotions behind them, they finally got back to business.
"Ren-aniki," Nawaki asked hesitantly, "do you have some kind of grudge against that Mizudori guy? Is this about Mizunomaru?"
Now that he looked back, Nawaki realized how immature he had been.
He and Mizunomaru were barely close—just casual classmates. But Tsunade, who often heard Nawaki mention the kid's name, must've assumed they were tight and assigned them to the same team.
Who would've guessed that Mizunomaru's father, Mizudori, was such a petty, vindictive man?
Hard times really revealed people's true colors—and Mizudori had basically dropped his pants and shown everything.
"You're only just realizing that?" Hyūga Haining cut in, voice filled with contempt. "Mizudori is a despicable, self-serving rat. He has no loyalty to the village, no respect for the Hokage, and has never once embraced the Will of Fire. He's nothing more than a parasite!"
"And with trash like him in our ranks, how are we supposed to win the next Shinobi World War?" Haining added with righteous fury.
Ren listened quietly, then said flatly, "I don't want that man alive. When we return to the village, I'll see to it he's eliminated. If Mizunomaru is still alive, he'll be expelled from the shinobi ranks. If he's dead, then it ends there."
Nawaki opened his mouth to say something—but in the end, he remained silent.
Ren went on, "When we get back, I'll need both of you to testify that I was the one who killed that Amegakure jōnin. Oh—and Nawaki, didn't you grab his ninja blade? That'll serve as evidence."
Ren had begun planning how to claim credit for the kill.
He remembered that after Konoha's crushing defeat in the Land of Rain, the Second Great Ninja War entered a temporary lull. That brief period of peace would be the perfect window for him to maneuver within the village.
Nawaki nodded and pulled out the blade from his belt, handing it to Ren.
Ren inspected it closely until he found the kanji "苦" ("Pain") etched into the metal.
Perfect. A clear marker.
Jōnin usually had unique weapons and monikers. Once he got back, he could easily gather intel from Amegakure's ANBU channels. A jōnin's death would definitely ripple through the village's inner circles.
Ren's eyes gleamed.
What he needed now was a combat record that matched the level of "defeated elite jōnin"—and crucially, it had to exclude the use of Shikotsumyaku.
That night, Nawaki and Haining turned in early, leaving Ren to keep watch at the cave entrance alone.
With just a single flick of thought, the [Vortex Elixir] and the [Random Kenjutsu/Ninjutsu Scroll] appeared in his hands.
"Now let's see what you two can do," he murmured.